Adding healthy calories. Help. My story

This is exactly like the other girl who posted here. I have trouble adding calories to my diet because i hate the number 1000. I am obsessive about my body and the most i eat in a day is 800 calories. I eathealthy and everything, like strawberries and blueberries are usually what i eat. Especially sine its summer and then fruit is so good.

And even then i will subconsciously subtract calories from my diet. I dont even know how but i will randomly just not eat and then fill myself up with water/lemon. All i can think about is my body and finding the right clothes that could make my thighs look smaller and my waist thinner. Its sad because it has basically consumed my life.

I guess it all started when my doctor told me to lose ten lbs of what she called "Excess weight" and that she just would rather have me lose ten pounds now, rather than 20 pounds later. That made all kinds of sense to me but i couldnt help but feel offended because although i have had anorexic tendencies since i was 14, i had actually gotten to a point where i was slightly, if not completely comfortable with my body. So the fact that my doctor was now telling me to lose weight (i am 5'6 and 132), was a trigger that basically said "wow ur letting urself go". So basically, she put me back on the track that i never wanted to visit again

Then again it could be my mother who is so so tiny and she has always put pressure on me. Shes only 5'3 and 95 lbs. So i hated being the daughter that weighed more and looked like an oaf next to the mother

I kinda just want some help on healthy foods to add to my diet that wont make me feel like a complete cow. fruits...vegetables. i really just want to lose this weight my doctor told me about, and then get on with my life because i hate this track im on. I never want to revisit it again

I can completely sympathize with you becaues I am in the same boat kind of. I'm "recovering " recovering from anorexia, but still find that I keep my calorie intake below 1000. I know what it's like to have your thoughts consumed with body issues. Anyways, I think it was wrong of your doctor to approach you about your weight like that especially if she knew about your history with anorexia. Plus, 5'6' and 132 pounds sounds very healthy to me. Some things that I like to eat that feel safe to me is Dannon Light n' fit yogurt, salads with lots of veggies and shrimp and crab meat, and tons of fish because it's so low in calories. Don't know if that helps at all but if you ever want to talk about stuff I'm here.

Oh thinkingthin,,  I feel so bad for you... you are in the struggle...  I usually dont respond to most young women with anorexic tendancies because they get mad at me..  but you are sooo honest...  with us and yourself...  that will make all the difference...    

This is not about weight anymore - its about all those awful feelings... and how fixation on weight is probably one of the few ways you have of coping..    I dont blame you at all.. but you need help with this.. and I dont mean that in a nasty way..  I mean someone who can genuinely give you a hand...

Is there someone you can talk to ?  someone who understands eating disorders ?

I am going to be thinking about you ....

Thinking,

Sometimes we'd advise people to listen to your body, other times your head, other times your heart. I think you realize that this is not entirely healthy for you and that's good.

When I read about what your doctor told you, I literally gasped! This person obviously needs to have her head and her doctor's licence examined!

I also feel that you should find someone to help you with this process, whether it be a close friend, a counselor or maybe a close relative?

It's very hard to overcome negative feelings and thoughts, especially when they're about yourself and when they are compounded by not only the media, but by health care professionals and loved ones.

You've already taken a huge leap by asking for help and we appreciate it honey! Hopefully bb123 can help you along this road and I know there are a few other girls who have had the same struggle.

We're here for you, girl!

Wow, I'm utterly amazed and speechless that your doctor would say that. There is nothing "excess" about 132 lbs at 5'6", and though losing 10 lbs would be fine, it is certainly not necessary! You fall perfectly into the healthy range for your weight and height.

You sound like you're eating lots of fruits, and you said that you are eating vegetables too, but I would suggest even more vegetables, and add in some complex carbs so that later your body doesn't get starved for carbs and you do something like binge on them.

Let's think up positive things about the number 1000. Like... winning $1000. Or the song "One Thousand Miles". It's not such a scary number, if you get it into your head that it's not.

thinkingthin - you are so honest with yourself and with us. I also think that if you are eating healthy that losing ten pounds with your weight and height is not necessary. It doesn't seem right.

I used to have a doctor that lectured me to lose weight so badly that I left her office crying. It was not worth it to me. It's not as if I don't try and it's not as if I know it's unhealthy for me to be overweight. My new doctor tells me to be sure to eat balanced meals and healthy foods. When I told her I was trying to lose weight she encouraged me, but never gave me grief. It may be time to find a different doctor.

I'm not going to lecture you or anything, but I have heard a lot that women should stay above 1200 calories to keep their body from going into starvation mode because it needs those calories just to do normal functions while you are sitting around. If you are active you need more. If you do feel that you need to lose the ten pounds then it may be that you should try to slowly up your calories. I know that it will be super hard since you are already having trouble with 1000. They say that unless your doctor tells you it's okay you probably shouldn't be that low in calories. The thing is, we just want you to be healthy. That's the most important thing.

Thinking thin, I just wanted to let you know that i am going thru the exact same thing as you right now. I was sent by my doctor to the eating disorders clinic where i saw a councelor and a nutrionist. The people are great and its definitely worth it to talk to them. My problem still is eating enough calories during the day as i don't feel hungry. They made me realize that just for your body to function you need 1200 calories. A person that can't get out of bed and do anything needs 1200 calories for normal function.

Your Weight to height ratio is in the healthy range so i'm not really sure why a health care professional would deal with something like that in that sort of manor.

I feel that it is great that you have openly discussed your problem on here. I find that it really helps to be able to discuss things with people and know that they aren't going to judge you, they will help you.

This is my first time on here and i am really impressed to see how many people are out there to help. I received alot of information at the psychoeducational sessions that i attended for my eating disorder and am here to help and listen if you need it.

Just know that its a slow process that takes baby steps.

Thinkingthin,

I'm in the same boat as you right now except my doctor didn't ask me to lose weight... my own aunt did. Her exact words were "Wow, Amanda's kind of a big girl, isn't she?" I'd like to point out that I'm 5'4" and weigh 120 lbs. My aunt on the other hand is 5'2" and 100 lbs. I guess that might've distorted her view a little... anyway, I feel where you're coming from and I too could use a little help... I'm sorry I can't give much of it, but maybe it's some semi-useless consolation to know someone else is there with you. :)

Haha, I laughed when I read that you don't want to eat up to 1,000 calories because the number itself looks so big. And when I hear/read--which is often--that women should eat no less than 1,200 calories a day, it's sort of hard to wrap my mind around it. I think, "well, I'm not eating 1,000 calories a day and I function just fine. I don't get what the problem is." Except when I think about it, like now, I realize that I'm probably a lot more tired than most people my age (I'm only 19) and have a slight problem with my memory... which doesn't play in my favor since I'm currently studying at a university. Or rather, trying to study.

I'm afraid if I go over 700 or 800 calories, I'm going to start gaining weight which isn't true at all! With CC I've watched myself consume over 1,000 calories and still my little green line on my weight graph is going down. I think we can assure ourselves it isn't a physical problem (unless you have an issue with swallowing or something, haha) but definitely a mind game we--and sometimes other people--play with ourselves.

I think if we just add 10 calories a day or every other day, we'll soon feel comfortable eating at least 1,200... I think it'll help when we see that we aren't gaining weight. Haha, and I have to be honest, that's an intimidating thought for me.

Good luck in all of your endeavors and don't hesitate to contact me or anything like that,

Amanda

I beleive you were talking about me, back when I made the post about going above 800 cals a day. Since that post, times have changed.

Something happened to me several weeks later (after the post) that resulted in me increasing my calories to....1200. DUN DUN DUN. Can you imagine!? That's a 400 calorie leap, but a gap I nevertheless I was FORCED to close.

I woke up one night, struggling to breath. I had had around 750 cals for the day, and after each meal, had burned 300 doing intense aerobic excersize. Do the math, by the time I'd hit the pillow, I was in the negatives. Incredibly, back like around August I COULD be in the negatives and make it through the night because I still had excess body fat. But this time, I had run out. (Hahh, what does it feel like to run out of backup body fat, you ask? Strange. Like you're always on the brink of 'if I don't have breakfast, I'm not gonna make it). I kept trying to find a comfortable spot in bed, one where it would be easier to breath, where I would have to breath less deeply, because scarily enough, I didn't have the strength.

Not having the strength to SLEEP put me in an instant panick. And I broke. Toddling on toothpick legs, I made it to the refrigerator and ripped open a bag of carrots. I ate them. All of them. I drank a glass of milk. I ate a WHOLE pear and downed a few slices of lunch meat. Within minutes I felt "better". But do you know the paranoia!! I had broken my precious 800, by about 300 calories. What a SIN. Oh God, I would have to punish myself severely.

But I resisted. I coudn't let myself die, because I was dying. My hair was falling out, my skin was grey. I was growing strange little hairs all over my body and it hurt to move. And kept losing weight.

BUT NOW, the odd thing is, I keep losing weight the more I eat. I can do over 1200 and not only maintain, but lose with a light amount of excersize. Sounds crazy. But it works. What is the magic working for me now?

Metabolism. (Dear God, I discoevered metabolism. Praise science.) Anorexics have shitty metabolic rates because they don't get enough. I had a horrible metabolism. But I rasied it slowly. Now it's raised and I feel better than ever, and I'm still thin. Still thin. It's like some freakish miracle. But you have to do it very SLOW. Gradual. Bump it up to 900, keep it for a few weeks. Then hit 1000. Keep it for even longer. Then 1100, and finally for me my limit is 1200. It takes a lot of courage. My mom helped me a lot...i oew it to her to maintain my weight.